The present invention relates to dimensional measurement and related mensuration and data processing systems and more particularly to a measurement system employing a dimensional sensing device capable of automatically registering the "sensed" value of the measured distance between two points in an electronic printing calculator, or alternately, in a programmable calculator or computer. By registering two or more dimensional values of a given pair of measurements, using one or more of the disclosed dimensional sensing devices, inputs to the calculator or computer can be sequenced or programmed to provide for automatic mensuration (computation of surface areas or cubic volumes) or other data processing related to the dimensional values so registered. Other data such as weight, determined by weigh scales of known design, can be manually or automatically registered in the calculator or computer; integrated data may be used to develop densities, optimum shipping lots, etc. Production, warehousing and transportation planning can also be greatly enhanced by use of such data; parcel post and transportation rates can also be determined and the optimum mode of transportation can thereby be selected.
Control switches on the dimensional sensing devices can cause printing calculators or programmable calculators/computers with associated printout devices to print dimensional, cube, weight and other data on gummed-backed or pressure-sensitive backed label printout tapes or other printout documents. Punched tapes, punched cards, and magnetic tapes are also representative of output capabilities of such integrated systems.
Various methods, devices and systems related to these purposes are in use today. The simplest device is a measuring ruler or tape; measurements are manually taken and posted and entered into a calculator to determine surface areas or volumes of objects.
Another method for determining cubic volume is to use a "cube book" which has one dimension of a rectangular prism (such as a box or carton) on one page of the book with the second and third dimensions furnished as columnar headings and line designators; cube values are given at the point of intersection of any column with any particular line.
These methods are very time consuming and subject to error.
Another device for determining cubic volume consists of two rectangular plates positioned at right angles to one another; these plates have hyperbolic curves printed or inscribed upon them. The plates are mounted in vertical planes and a carton whose cubic volume is to be determined is placed at their base in contact with their vertical faces. The volume of the carton may be "read" by following certain procedures relating to intersecting points of the hyperbolic curves on the plates and "reading" the cubic volume of the carton from values given such intersecting points. This method is less time consuming than the prior described methods but is relatively slow when compared with the measurement sensing devices and methods disclosed. It lacks the ability to automatically print-out labels and other documents or to automatically integrate dimensional/volume data with other data and provides for automatic analysis and standard automatic data processing outputs thereof.
Still another device for measuring cubic volume uses three variable resistors mounted at right angles to one another in a manner that allows one to measure the height, a second to measure the width and a third to measure the length. In each case, the base of the resistor is aligned with one edge of the carton and the sliding (variable) contact is set at the opposite edge of the carton. The electrical resistance of each resistor is mathematically proportional to the logarithm of the respective carton dimension. A series of electrical and mechanical linkages results in allowing the operator of the device to "read" the volume and postal rate for the carton directly from a scale printed on a cylindrical drum that rotates through a "readout" window. This device is slightly slower than the prior device described above but does include the end product not only the volume of the carton, but its postal rate. However, when compared with the device and method disclosed herein, this device has the same shortcomings described for the prior device.
In recent years, light-sensitive sensors and closed circuit television grids have been used to view/record the profile of cartons and other objects moving on conveyors. Such devices have been interfaced with analog computers which are capable of processing data and furnishing data outputs equal to those of the disclosed invention. However, the cost of such equipment is extremely high compared with the cost of the disclosed invention. This is particularly true when a system with a minimum output capability is required. One advantage of the light-sensing analog computer system is that the true surface area or cube of irregular objects can be determined swiftly and effectively. The disclosed invention can swiftly and effectively determine the surface area or cube of rectangular prisms and other regular geometric shapes but is not able to effectively and swiftly determine the surface area or cube of some non-geometric irregular shapes. This is not a problem when only regular shapes are to be measured; in this case, the simpler, less expensive aspects of the disclosed invention prove to be an advantage over the more expensive systems that are actually over-designed for use in measuring regular objects.